The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, in a landmark collaboration with Ngl Energy Partners, has announced the acquisition of approximately 10,000 acres of crucial habitat for the Lesser Prairie Chicken and other grassland species. This significant purchase, finalized on Thursday, September 23rd, marks a pivotal moment for wildlife conservation in Southeast New Mexico and highlights the positive impact of public-private partnerships.
Joined by members of the State Game Commission, representatives from NGL Energy Partners, Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst, and the public, the Department officially unveiled the newly acquired Pipkin Ranch property. This 7,500-acre ranch, strategically located about 40 miles southeast of Fort Sumner, NM, effectively bridges two previously separate Department properties. This consolidation creates an expansive, connected conservation area exceeding 10,000 acres, offering enhanced protection for New Mexico’s diverse wildlife.
“This willing public-private partnership exemplifies the remarkable outcomes achievable when we collectively acknowledge the importance of conservation,” stated Game and Fish Director Mike Sloane. “I am incredibly proud to have been part of this endeavor, which I believe will serve as a model as we move forward with implementing the Governor’s ambitious 30 x 30 initiative.”
Echoing this sentiment, Game Commission Chairwoman Sharon Salazar Hickey emphasized the importance of such collaborations, stating, “Acquiring and managing properties like Pipkin Ranch provides a powerful example of how wildlife conservation can successfully coexist with energy development, including wind energy.” She further added, “While Pipkin Ranch may appear as simple rolling grassland to some, it represents a vital opportunity for growth and a critical conservation stronghold for the Lesser Prairie Chicken.”
The Lesser Prairie Chicken, an iconic grouse species native to the American prairies and grasslands, has been under consideration for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. These birds are heavily reliant on native grasslands and prairies, habitats that have tragically dwindled over time. Habitat loss is identified as the primary threat to the Lesser Prairie Chicken, with an estimated 90% of its historical range already diminished.
NGL Energy Partners, LP, a publicly traded midstream energy and infrastructure company with significant operations in New Mexico focused on oil and gas wastewater management, played a crucial role in making this conservation project a reality. Recognizing the ecological significance of the Pipkin Ranch, particularly its known Lesser Prairie Chicken leks (breeding grounds), NGL proactively stepped in to facilitate the property’s acquisition, ensuring its addition to the State’s conservation land portfolio.
Matthias Sayer, representing NGL Energy Partners, remarked on the natural synergy of the partnership. “Engaging with Game and Fish to discuss our shared interests in conserving both game and non-game wildlife species was a seamless and logical step,” Sayer explained.
This impactful public-private partnership emerged just prior to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s unveiling of the 30 x 30 initiative, further underscoring the timeliness and relevance of this conservation effort.
Sayer quoted Governor Lujan Grisham’s executive order Protecting New Mexico’s Land, Watersheds, Wildlife and Natural Heritage, highlighting the order’s emphasis on voluntary conservation practices by land managers, including private landowners and leaseholders on working lands. These practices, as outlined in the order, are seen as opportunities to “support broader restoration activities, improve watershed health, create resilience in rural and urban communities, add value to the food chain and food security, and contribute to the state’s outdoor recreation and eco-tourism economy.” The order further directs agencies to utilize existing resources to “support and implement programs designed to conserve, protect and enhance lands and natural environments across the State, coordinate with external stakeholders… enhance biodiversity, preserve landscapes with the potential to increase water yields or infiltration, wildlife habitat and promote healthy soils and watersheds and finally to ensure movement across the landscape.” Sayer concluded, “This partnership and acquisition perfectly embodies the Governor’s vision, and NGL Energy Partners is proud to be a part of it.”
